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by Seiferdragon
Summary: There were a great number of things Reno disliked. There were a slightly smaller, albeit, still a relatively high number of things Reno hated. However, there were three things, just three simple things Reno absolutely, positively loathed. Lea Axel XRude, Runo.
1. Three Things I Hate About You

Barcode  
Part One: Three Things I Hate! My Brother's Boyfriend  
By: Jordan Laytner  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except some copies. That's why it's a fan fiction, dork.

There were a great number of things Reno disliked. There were a slightly smaller, albeit, still a relatively high number of things Reno hated. However, there were three things, just three simple things Reno absolutely, positively loathed.

**3. Oatmeal**

As he walked into the kitchen he saw it there. Sitting, and waiting for him on the table a small, white, porcelain bowl, filled to the brim with steel-cut oats. Oh his mother tried to decorate it with some apple slices and a little bit of cinnamon, but there it was, and it smelled horrid.  
He quickly ran around the kitchen, searching despretely for something, anything, else he could eat. He checked the pantry. Empty except for a few cans of vegetables. He yanked the refrigerator door open, finding a little bit of milk he figured might have been expired and a small, tub of butter. On the side was a ketchup bottle and some old relish. He slammed the door shut and quickly checked all the cabinets, knowing nothing would be in there, but praying there would be something somewhere.  
With a deep sigh and a whole facial grimace he sat down at the table. He stared down at it. He looked at his fork. His stomach was starting to growl, he would have to eat it. But as he stuck his fork in the mushy oats his gag reflex kicked in.

**2. His Brother, Lea**

"And so I told Roxas he needed to stop being such an emo little creep and go talk to her, but he was being all shy so I went over to talk to her myself!"

Reno's spirits automatically dropped as he watched his brother walk in, chatting loudly on his cell phone at 6:15 in the morning. Reno figured he should be used to it by now. However, there was just something about the fact that Lea did this every morning that completely ran him ragged.  
And then there was the fact that Lea liked oatmeal. He liked it to the point where he dug right in, stabbing into the mush and filling his mouth with a forkful of watered down oats. Then, much to Reno's horror, Lea started laughing with his mouth full. Never before had he been so sickened by food.  
Reno took another deep sigh and grabbed the apple slices out of his bowl and sank his teeth into them instantly. They were delicious, completely uncorrupted by the mush. He slid his bowl over to his brother, giving up on even trying to eat. He grabbed Lea's apples, figuring he wouldn't miss them anyway.  
He sighed and looked to the refrigerator door, seeing the family message board he wasn't interested in before. He stood and walked over, to get a closer look at the freshly attached post-it note. He leaned against the fridge, tuning Lea's laughter and gleeful one-sided conversation out.

"Reno/Lea:  
Make sure to clean your rooms for the weekend! Grandma will come by to check on you on Friday. There's money for groceries in the cookie jar. -Mom."

He sighed as he tore the note off the dry-erase board, which was covered with a permanent to-do list. He tossed it in the garbage bin and walked over to the counter, sliding the cookie jar over and collecting the money inside. It was, of course, more than enough. He sighed and slipped the money into his pocket.  
He looked over at Lea, who was chatting away on his phone. Carelessly as he had been minutes ago. With one last eye roll, he was grabbing his backpack and shoving his feet inside of his shoes. He stepped outside and pulled the door open, and there stood the bane of his existence.

**1. Lea's boyfriend, Rude**

It wasn't that Rude was annoying, or that he even did anything for that matter. It was just… Ugh.

"…"

"Oh, you. Hi." Reno gripped his backpack strap. He didn't bother closing the door, knowing Rude would probably just go in anyway. "He's in the kitchen." With a scoff, he began walking, heading to another boring day of meaningless classes. Life was so boring.  
He suddenly stopped, feeling uncomfortable, followed, he spun around and saw Rude standing there. Rude was taller than Lea. Then again, he was also two years older than him. He was taller than Reno too, though, and they were in the same grade. He was suntanned, which wasn't unusual for this part of town. A beach a mere few blocks away, and the fact that summer had only ended about a month ago.  
He was so… weird, though. He shaved his head, baby smooth, and he liked it that way. He also wore sunglasses. Constantly. Inside. At night time. Constantly.  
There was definitely that, as well as the fact that he hardly ever said anything.

Reno unconsciously gritted his teeth. Their relationship made absolutely no sense. Lea was so obnoxious. He chewed with his mouth open, and was never home to do his chores. He was always out with his friends, and sometimes he would leave Rude at home and run off with Roxas and Xion.  
It left so many incredibly awkward moments of Reno just trying to mind his own business and then turning around and seeing Rude there in his living room.  
Shit, didn't Rude have his own house to sit around in?

It made him so mad he could spit, but there he was, standing there, staring at him. "WHAT?!" Reno screamed, making nearby pedestrians turn to look.  
"You seem tense."  
And no matter how many times he heard it, the sound of Rude's voice, both monotone and yet oh-so-masculine just ran right through him. It shook him to his core and it was just so fricken annoying.  
"And you seem retarded. Get the hell away from me you jackass!" He spun around, swinging his backpack behind him, trying to keep Rude from following. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be the case.

However, what Reno lacked in a calm, cool, and collected attitude, he made up for with a ridiculously stubborn disposition. He trudged along, absolutely refusing to turn around, refusing to let any fiber of his being to acknowledge the other man's presence. Soon enough, he was joined by his friend Elena.

He sighed as she approached. "You're being followed." She said, hugging her English text to her chest.  
"Yeah, I know. Don't say anything."  
"You don't want me to say anything?"  
"Yeah, that's what I said. He's just being an ass."  
Elena turned and looked over his shoulder. Reno sighed, resisting the urge to shove her. "That means 'don't turn around and look at him' too." He kept walking, refusing to slow down.  
"Well, I didn't know. Why is he following you?"  
"How am I supposed to know?" He snapped. He suddenly found himself speeding up, walking just a little bit quicker. Perhaps he just had too much energy. Perhaps the bald male behind him just flustered him to the point where he couldn't possibly function properly.

As he reached the school building he figured he was safe. Surely Rude wouldn't follow him through here too. He was spared, at least for now. Elena, who was now turned around staring at him wasn't so sure.  
"Elena, please." Reno whined. He reached back adjusting his ponytail tighter against his head. He whipped around the entered the building, leaving her standing there. He would get away from both of them, hopefully.

He trotted upstairs, trying to make it to his locker without being interrupted yet again. He made it to the top of the stairs, and then he couldn't help but notice his day was only going to go downhill.  
"Hey Reno!" A catcall. Not necessarily a good one either. Stupid boys.  
That catcall was all Cid Highwind. An idiot if there ever was one. Well, perhaps not. It was complicated.  
The jocks that walked the hallways of this school were a strange bunch. They weren't the normal group by any stretch of the imagination. Reno would know. This was his 4th high school in 3 years. He was a senior now, so it looked like this would be where he graduated. As for Lea…  
Reno considered graduating and adopting Lea. That way, maybe Lea wouldn't have to suffer with moving around forever. Then again, he seemed a little bit more adjusted than he himself had ever been. He made friends so easily and without even really trying. Reno…not so much.  
Deep down, he figured he just wanted his younger brother to be happy. Even if that meant he would have to suffer a little.

Cid Highwind was a football player, and according to his fan base, he was a pretty good one. Wasn't very tall, but he was bulky. He had a nice build. The redhead wasn't sure if the blonde was teasing him or being serious, but as much as Cid would flirt with him and say unusual things, Reno just wasn't interesting. He didn't know why, he just knew it wasn't there.  
Cid had plenty of friends that were just as intent on making Reno feel uncomfortable. It was a strange school in that way. An all-boys school with no girls to objectify would do that.

Reno sighed and leaned against his locker, slowly spinning the combination into the lock panel. Just as he got it open though, it was slammed shut. With a growl, he spun around to see Rude, hand pinning his locker door down, hovering over Reno like a looming shadow of misfortune.

"What?!" Reno hissed, annoyed at, literally, being backed into a corner.

The redhead, however, was easily pushed to the side, Rude leaning heavily against his locker, turning the lock dial as if he'd done it every day. Reno, annoyed, but still curious couldn't help but look around the shoulder of his much more sizable opponent. Rude knew his locker combination. Great. So he was being watched and he didn't even know it.

Rude once again stepped back, and Reno, mistakenly believing this was his only opportunity to grab his things and run was suddenly yanked back by his book bag strap. He was then crushed against Rude's hardened body, held there completely immobile and against his will.

Rude smelled like old spice and a mild aftershave, and his body was so comfortable. His arms were strong, and tightly clinging to Reno's midsection. The right side of Reno's face was pressed tightly against the taller man's well-sculpted chest and he could hear the steady heartbeat of his captor. Reno could feel the warmth gathering in his cheeks.

He could also feel the stares of everybody in the hallway. He quickly gathered himself and shoved Rude away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He shrieked.

Without waiting for an answer he bent down and grabbed his text books, slamming his locker shut, and walking away before he could be interrupted yet again.


	2. Rude gets what he deserves!

Barcode  
By: Jordan Laytner  
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except some copies. That's why it's a fan fiction, dork.

* * *

**Yeah, you guys get chapter 2 already. Enjoy. I plan on uploading a new chapter as soon as I finish it. I hope you guys like it. =]**

* * *

For some reason, Reno thought to himself that perhaps his annoyance would be over for the day. He thought today couldn't possibly get any worse. With a long and heavy sigh, he laid his books on his usual desk. Homeroom was without assigned seats, and as long as you could yell out a nice, loud, "Here!" you could basically sit anywhere you wanted.  
Reno was a creature of habit, and sat in the same seat every day, especially because of the prime location of this particular seat. Right next to the window. Completely ideal for a short attention span like his. Not that anything happened outside in a small town like this. He shook his head, the books should secure his seat- it usually did anyway, especially because everyone was used to their own desk.  
He went back into the hallway, partially to stand in line for a sip of water from the fountain, and partially to see if he could meet up with some friends. As much as Reno liked being alone, being in a high school like this, you definitely needed somebody to talk to, otherwise you'd stick out like a sore thumb.  
Reno didn't know why, but he didn't have many friends. He was attractive. He knew that both from other people as well as his own standards. He was talkative, and he was at least decent to other people. He figured he just wasn't the type of person who didn't get along with others well.

It wasn't that big of a deal. He was, for the most part, used to being alone. It was just kind of… lonely here.  
He realized he was behind Barret Wallace in the line for the water fountain. He grimaced. He had nothing against Barret, but rather, the other way around. Barret had something against "rich boys", and wasn't shy about his resentment either. Whether it was a sharp shove in the shoulder, or a simple quip as he passed by, it was pretty unrelenting.

It wasn't anything he wasn't used to, but it was still very uncomfortable. For as long as he'd been there, which really wasn't very long, he hadn't done anything offensive or even noticeable as far as he knew.

People just naturally hated him. And that was okay.

He didn't need anyone. Really.

He was just fine all by himself.

Luckily for him, Barret didn't even seem to notice his presence behind him, and walked away without so much as an "accidental" brush. Reno couldn't help but grin in silent victory as he watched him walking away, stepping forward, however, he felt the oh-too-familiar feeling of his face against someone's chest. He shuddered, and looked up to once again see Rude looking down at him.

"You can't drink from this one." He announced in the same calm, cool, and collected voice he always used.

It. Pissed. Reno. Off.

"Oh yeah? Just watch me."

But before Reno could even move to get around him, Rude's back was to him, and he was leaning over the water fountain.

It was beautiful. The stream of water that shot up. The angle in which it arched. The look on Rude's face as he was sprayed completely with the water fountain's wrath. Reno couldn't help it, his thundering laugh ripped right out of him, and he doubled over, shaking, unable to control his body. It was much too funny.

Rude didn't seem to think it was very funny. But oddly enough, he simply wiped his face off and proceeded to class, completely ignoring his soaked shirt and uniform jacket. It was… interesting. Somehow it was still just as funny. With a grin, Reno, forgetting all about his water, walked into the classroom following his brother's lover.

Rude was still standing, underneath the flag, beside the door. Reno couldn't help but to grin at him, a condescending, mocking grin, none the less. Rude, however, wasn't very cooperative with Reno's sense of humor. He didn't frown or become embarrassed. He just stood there, with his usual blank expression, staring straight ahead, his sunglasses guarding him from the outside world.

Reno gave up, attempting to keep at least SOME of his humor for later. He wouldn't let baldie ruin his pleasure, and that was that. With a satisfied smirk, he went to sit down at his usual desk, but quickly found himself sitting on something softer, but still pretty hard. He turned around, seeing, once again, Rude.

He was sitting there on Rude's lap. That asshole was sitting on his chair- under him. He was sitting on the bigger male's lap, and if that wasn't embarrassing, the stares he was beginning to get sure were. A room full of boys, and there he was, on top of his brother's boyfriend.

This was sure to get people talking. Of course, when Rude leaped up, bouncing Reno onto the floor, standing up and rubbing at his behind, hissing like a cat. Reno looked up at him, glaring, but easing his eyebrows upon seeing Rude pull a tack out of his rear, closer to his leg.

Reno snickered once again- he couldn't help himself, even as he saw Rude gritting his teeth. The redhead quickly decided that seat wasn't so important anymore. Instead, he would sit in the back of the room, where he could mentally rewind and replay today's events in his head over and over in peace.

He took his notebooks and texts to the back of the room, watching as Rude once against sat down and turned his attention forward, as if pretending none of those events occurred. That was just fine with Reno- as long as nobody else mentioned it. It was pretty unlikely, considering they would usually have something of a much higher caliber to say to him. Well, depending on who you asked…

Class carried on as normal, the usual note taking, and the usual stupid questions by the boys who couldn't quite keep up with the pace of the class. Zack Fair- he was the main hurdle. Not out of inconsideration for others, rather… he was just so absent minded. His attention span was shorter than most. He had a really hard time keeping up with what was going on. He was nice enough though, so Reno couldn't find it in himself to hate the poor guy…

Still, it was really obnoxious to always have to wait. He yawned and sat back, staring at the ceiling tiles, somewhat amused by the differences of sitting in the back of his room versus by the window. He looked forward, staring at the back of Rude's big bald head.

Well, he wasn't making fun of it. His head was the perfect type to shave. It was perfect in shape, and he left no stubble to be accounted for. His pierced ears were perfect too. The perfect shape, the perfect size. The way his temple-tips curled around his ears. His height. His perfectly sculpted body. The way he rubbed at his temple when he was stressed. The sound of his voice at night-

Reno bit his lip and looked down. He had to stop this. It just wasn't right. Fantasizing about your brother's boyfriend was just wrong. No matter how bad he wanted Rude for himself- that wasn't in the hand of cards he was dealt. Instead, his brother had gotten to Rude. In the end, Lea 1/Reno 0.

What was he supposed to do? Lea had gotten there first, and Rude was obviously interested. From the way he was acting today, it was obvious that Rude disliked Reno.

All he could do was sigh and hope that maybe someday someone would come along and make him question why he ever wanted Rude in the first place. The chances of anyone coming close, though, seemed very slim.


	3. You should gobut please stay

**Well, here's the much anticipated Chapter three. This is a lot more lighthearted than my other stories, isn't it?** **Either way, I hope you enjoy it.**

Class was dismissed and Reno gathered up his things. There was all out war going on as everyone wanted to be the first one out. Reno wasn't interested in running home, especially when he still had things to do before going home was even possible.  
Rude came up from the back of the room and stood next to him, watching and waiting. Reno heaved a sigh and tossed his bag strap over his shoulder.  
"What's your problem today?" He demanded.  
Rude only stood there, not saying anything. His face was completely unreadable, but he just stood there, not going anywhere. Not leaving like Reno thought he would.  
"You've been putting me through Hell all day, asshole." Reno continued.  
Still, Rude said nothing.  
"Ugh, whatever." He said, leaving his desk and heading out the door. The taller male followed behind him, still silently.

Reno stepped outside and looked at Elena standing by the entrance stairs. "Did you have a good day at school?" She asked stiffly, apparently knowing the answer before she asked.  
"It was fine, mom." He answered with a sigh. "This asshole made my day hell." He grunted.  
Rude stood behind him, still not saying anything. Still acting as Reno's shadow.

"You should head home." Reno said standing up. "I have to head to the store."  
She stood. "Reno…" She wrapped her arms around him.  
The redhead raised an eyebrow. "What's this about?"  
She frowned as she released him. "I just thought I should remind you that I appreciate you."  
He raised an eyebrow. "Well, thanks. I guess."  
She took her bag and headed home.  
The redhead looked over his shoulder. "I suppose you'll be joining me?"  
Rude said nothing and followed Reno to the store.

Reno grabbed a shopping cart and headed down the first aisle. With a sigh he picked out some produce.  
Rude stood beside his cart saying nothing. He waited a moment and then headed over to the fresh berries, picking some out.  
The redhead couldn't help but be suspicious as he saw Rude putting things inside the cart. He blushed though, as he realized Rude was helping him.

"Rude…" He mumbled as he looked at the packages of meat.  
The bald male looked over at him.  
"Why are you like this today?" He said, placing some ground beef into his cart.  
Rude frowned a bit, but didn't say anything and only shook his head. He left and headed over to the frozen food department.  
Reno sighed and went to the canned goods, picking out a few vegetables.

Rude returned with an armload.  
"I suppose you'll be joining us for dinner?" He asked, almost blushing. He couldn't help himself. Despite how mean the taller male had been to him today, he couldn't help finding his so ridiculously attractive. He'd seek psychiatric help if he thought it could be helped.  
"Would you mind?" He asked.  
Reno was slightly startled at the sound of the other man's voice. "Oh. N-no, you're welcome to join us." He blushed a bit.  
Rude usually came to eat with them. It was weird, though, because Rude actually had parents to enjoy dinner with.  
The redhead didn't know if it was normal to eat at your boyfriend or girlfriend's house everyday. He never had one before. He didn't mind though, especially considering Lea wasn't much in the ways of company.  
"Lea would probably be pissed if I told you no." He said quickly, trying to hide the embarrassment of inviting Rude over.  
Rude frowned a bit.  
The redhead grabbed his ponytail and pulled it over his shoulder, and continued pushing his cart down the aisle.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Rude standing over a coffin-case filled with frozen fish. He blushed a bit and watched him. It was embarrassing, but he couldn't help himself. The taller male was just too good looking. It wasn't fair. He turned back around and gripped the cart's handle.  
Lea was so lucky to have him. His younger brother didn't even know. He just ignored him to talk on the phone or to go hang out with his friends at the mall. He didn't know how good looking Rude was, how he was the best person he could ever get.  
Reno knew though. He knew so much it hurt. He would have to get over it at some point, though, because that wasn't how it was.  
He pushed his cart forward, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He bumped right into a tall display of cereal. Running into the display, naturally, caused it to rumble and nearly topple over. He looked up, walking it waver.  
Then, they tumbled down. He reached up and covered his head, preparing for impact. However, the boxes never touched him, instead he was pulled up against a nice firm body.  
As the last box fell, he looked up and saw Rude looking down at him.  
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.  
Reno looked at him embarrassed and worried.

Rude was fine, though.  
Reno, with Rude's arms wrapped around him, was better than fine. His arms pulled him tightly against his body. He was extremely comfortable.

Rude held him like that, staring down at him through his glasses.  
An employee ran over. "Are you guys alright?" He asked immediately.  
"We're fine." Rude answered, pushing Reno over to the cart. He stepped over some boxes, and reached into the cart to take out the stray boxes that dropped into the cart.  
Reno stood there, not sure what he was doing.  
Rude wrapped an arm around his waist and pushed him along, toward the front of the store. Reno reached over and grabbed a container of oatmeal, he tossed it into the cart.

They got over to the cash register and began to unload their groceries onto the conveyer belt. Rude was managing quite nicely himself, so Reno headed down the lane to bag them.  
He paid the money, pocketing the change.  
Rude grabbed most of the bags, making Reno frown as he was left with the lighter bags.  
"You don't have to be such a macho man." He grunted, following at Rude's heels.  
Rude said nothing, like always, and headed toward the family home.

Rude carried the bags into the kitchen and began to unload the groceries into the appropriate places.  
Reno blushed. "What would you like for dinner?"  
Rude shrugged. "I'll eat anything, you know that."  
The redhead only nodded. He couldn't help but want the taller male to keep talking though, especially because the taller male didn't talk enough as it was.  
"Well, do you mind hamburgers?"  
"That'll be fine." He said, placing the ground beef on the counter.  
Reno nodded and finished putting everything into the fridge.  
From behind him, he heard Lea's over-enthused voice chatting wildly on the phone. "I know right? It was hilarious." He reached into the fridge and grabbed a still lukewarm can of soda, and headed upstairs.  
"Welcome home." Reno mumbled, taking a bag of charcoal outside onto the porch and began to light the grill.  
Rude came outside with him, standing nearby, silent, as always.


	4. I'm sorry

**Well, here you go, another chapter, hot off my word processor. Yeah, I don't even have these proofread. *shrug* did you notice?  
Either way, this story is definitely supposed to be much more lighthearted than my others, but I hope you enjoy it either way.**

After flipping the burgers he looked over and saw Rude place cheese on all but one of them. That one, obviously, was for Lea.

"Is he good to you at least?" Reno asked, blushing a touch. He quickly turned his attention to the condiments so Rude wouldn't be able to see the obvious pigment to his face.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Rude mumbled quietly.

The red head turned around now, flustered a bit. The taller, bald headed man had never been one to mince words before, so this was a wee bit frustrating.

"Ah, never mind. I'm exhausted. You finish."

"Alright."

Reno plopped down on the bench watching Rude attend to the burgers. He pulled out his textbook and pretended to read, watching the bald male place the burgers on the plate.

He had taken off his uniform jacket, and Reno could clearly see the outline of his muscular form underneath his white shirt. He rolled his sleeves up before placing a few more patties onto the grill, and Reno was enthralled.

Regardless of how stupid and mean Rude had been today, Reno knew beautiful when he saw it.

"Rude…" He mumbled before he could even think about what he was doing.

"Hm?" The bald man said, not turning around.

"You probably shouldn't go out with my brother anymore." Reno wanted to swallow his fist, so maybe the word vomit would stop. He mumbled it, but it was obvious by the way Rude turned around, his mouth slightly agape, that he had heard everything Reno said.

The two boys just stared at each other, neither one knowing what to say now.

Reno tried to cut the eye contact with his book, hoping that would cut the tension too. No such luck. He bit his lip and searched his head for the right words to say. He had to apologize, and quick, before Rude started to ask what he meant by that.

"I'm sor-"  
He was caught off with a sharp gasp. Rude was there, hovering over him, much too close for comfort. That was it then, he was going to get his ass handed to him. He knew he had gone too far, and this was his rightful punishment.

He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. He was preparing himself for impact, but instead just felt a palm over his forehead.

His eyes opened slowly, and he looked up at Rude, as he looked down at him through his sunglasses. His hand rested on his forehead, and it felt so… nice.

Rude's hands were inexplicably cold. Not like the shock of ice, but rather… a refreshing blast of cold water. Invigorating, rejuvenating…

It was nice.

"Are you not feeling well?"

Stupid Rude… He never felt better.

He smiled a bit, but for some reason, a darkness was looming over his eyes. A shadow was sneaking up behind him and enveloping him in a sweet surrender.

He saw Rude get fuzzy, and then disappear though a shade of shadow.

"…Rude…"

"Reno…"  
"Oy, idiot, get up."  
"Reno…!"  
"Just ignore him."

Who? …Ah, little brother. That's quite a mouth you have on you.

Mom would hate to hear you talk to me like that. She wanted us to love each other. Remember?

Maybe you don't. It's okay. I love you enough for the both of us. Don't hate me, okay mama?

"Reno!"

What? What's the matter? - That smell. Wait, stop! Please stop shaking me, I…

Reno's eyes flew open and he looked around his living room. How'd he get here?

"Reno…" That relieved voice. Rude.

Hell, he even looked relieved. I wonder what- oh, I'm sorry.

Reno pushed up and sat up straight.

"I told you he'd be fine." Lea grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's always like this."

Reno looked at his younger brother and sighed, not having the strength to defend himself. He smiled though. "I'm sorry, Lea…" He whispered, pushing himself to get up.

His body felt heavy though. Like gravity had taken a special interest in him today.

"The food!" He remembered, rushing back outside, ignoring the limits of his weakened body.

Rude followed behind him, frowning, as always. "It's alright. There's plenty."

Reno sighed, looking at the now charred burgers lying there. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

The bald male said nothing and stood there with him.

Lea turned to the kitchen and watched them from the glass sliding door. His brother could be so stupid sometimes… He picked up his phone and called Roxas back.

Reno sat down staring at his textbook in a crumbled heap on the floor. He bent down and picked it up. Flattening the pages, he closed the book and left it to weigh itself back down on the table.

"What happened?"

"You passed out."

"Ah." He sat down and rubbed at his head.

"Are you still hungry?"

"…Yeah." He stood up, and walked back over to the grill. His fingers wrapped around the plate, he thought he could just take them inside.

Until those cold hands wrapped around his suddenly too warm ones. "I'll take it." Rude mumbled at the back of his head.

Reno stood there, shell shocked, perhaps. He smiled though. "I'm sorry." He said, his fingers curling up, releasing their hold. "This would be the second batch I've ruined, huh?"

"Reno…"

The redhead ducked under the taller male's arm and headed back into the kitchen.

Until he suddenly felt his hair being tugged. He turned and saw Rude holding the end of his ponytail. He stopped, more confused than anything, and was yanked back into an over powerful, waiting arm.

He was pulled into the chest of that arm's owner, and together they walked into the house.

"Rude…" He mumbled. He was pushed into a chair, and he couldn't find the strength to move.

Lea came back down and sat beside him, smirking, as if knowing something he didn't.

Reno didn't pay much attention to it. He couldn't comprehend it even if he tried… so he had no choice but to let it go.

He looked down then at the burger that had somehow appeared in front of him. How did… No bother.

Examining it, he realized he must have made it for himself, and then forgot about it. His mother never got it right. It was always bottom bun, meat, cheese, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, top bun.

His mother never got it right. Never. Not once… so he must have-

"Idiot," Lea grunted. "Why didn't you tell us you were sick? If I wake up sick tomorrow I'm going to kick your ass, got it memorized?"

Reno looked at his brother and smiled. "I'm sorry, Lea… forgive me."

"Whatever."

Reno looked back at his burger. His stomach longed for it. He just… couldn't.

Rude said down beside him then, pushing his own plate aside, he picked up a knife and began cutting Reno's burger into smaller pieces.

That's not how you're supposed to eat it… hey, stop, that's not-

Rude picked of one of the pieces with a fork and pushed it toward Reno's lips. Feeling suddenly parched and overheated, Reno's lips open and he chewed the forkful.

His face drained of what little color it had left.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled again.

"What?" Rude questioned, sticking another piece with the fork.

"You must be hungry…" He said, taking another bite. He chewed, and suddenly felt the shadows creeping up on him again. "I'm sorry…" He whispered, closing his eyes again.

**Leave me a review, or you'll get sick like Reno. =D**


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